Soxhlet extractor

A laboratory apparatus that repeatedly washes a solid sample with condensed solvent to extract soluble compounds. Its siphon returns solvent to the boiling flask, enabling repeated extraction with a relatively small solvent volume.

Soxhlet cycle: A repeating sequence in which solvent vapor condenses over a solid sample, accumulates, and siphons back to a boiling flask. This cycle is the extractor’s defining mechanism for repeatedly contacting the sample with fresh solvent.
Solid–liquid extraction: A separation process that removes soluble substances from a solid by contacting it with a liquid solvent. Soxhlet extraction is a repeated, apparatus-driven form of this broader separation process.
Crude fat analysis: A gravimetric method that estimates extractable lipid content by solvent extraction and weighing. Soxhlet apparatus is a traditional method for measuring extractable fat in foods and feed.
Maceration: An extraction method that soaks a solid in solvent, usually without continuous cycling or forced circulation. Unlike Soxhlet extraction, maceration does not repeatedly replenish solvent at the sample surface.
Extraction efficiency: A measure of how completely a method transfers a target substance from a sample into an extract. Repeated solvent contact can improve recovery, though the result depends on solvent and sample properties.
Siphon: A tube that transfers liquid from a higher reservoir to a lower one after liquid rises over a crest. The siphon empties the extraction chamber once its solvent reaches the overflow level.
Solvent: A substance, usually liquid, that dissolves another substance to form a solution. The selected solvent must dissolve target compounds and circulate through the sample.
Determination of extractable matter in biomass: A measurement of compounds removed from plant or other biomass by a specified solvent. Repeated solvent cycling can quantify or recover solvent-soluble biomass components.
Ultrasound-assisted extraction: A solvent extraction method that uses acoustic cavitation to enhance contact between solvent and sample. It can shorten extraction without the prolonged heating typical of Soxhlet operation.
Solvent recovery: The collection and reuse of solvent after a separation or chemical process. The boiling flask concentrates extracted material while much of the solvent continues cycling.

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Dean–Stark apparatusCompared with: Both devices recycle solvent, but a Soxhlet extracts solids rather than collecting reaction water.